A general shut down was observed in Northern Sri Lanka on Oct 25. It was in protest over the police killing of two Jaffna University students—Puwanraj Sulakshan from Chunnagam and Nadarajah Gajan from Kilinochchi —last Thursday night.
Government offices, schools, private businesses and shops were closed and all transport halted across Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaithivu, Vavuniya and Mannar.
On Monday morning, more than 1,000 Tamil and Sinhala students, teachers and workers from Jaffna University demonstrated outside the provincial council office. University students in Colombo also protested against the police killing.
Puwanraj Sulakshan and Nadarajah Gajan, who were riding on a motorcycle after attending a social function, died on October 20 at around 11.30 p.m., after being shot at by police from the Kokuvil-Kulappidy junction checkpoint in Jaffna.
Police initially insisted that the motorcycle accidently hit a parapet wall after the driver ignored police demands to halt. Police also claimed the students were under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident.
The Judicial Medical Officer’s (JMO) investigation, however, reported that there were bullets in Sulakshan’s body and that he died from police gunshots. His bike hit a wall, injuring Gajan, who later died. The JMO said there was no evidence that the two students had consumed alcohol.
Yesterday’s bandh was called by various Tamil parties.
Speaking in the Sri Lanka Parliament, also yesterday, Opposition leader R. Sambandan of the TNA demanded an “impartial inquiry” into the deaths and punishment to the guilty police.
Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran issued a statement, declaring that he expected a magistrate to conduct a proper investigation. He urged Tamil youth to be “patient in this tragic situation.”
A leaflet issued by Jaffna Teachers Union echoed the TNA’s appeals for an “impartial investigation” and called for “international and national human rights bodies and activists” to supervise the inquiry.
The student union leaders declared that the demonstrations were not against the government but the police. “It is useless to be against the government in everything. This is a work of police.”